For this week’s installment of WGLT’s Sounds of Summer series, we’re diving into a unique fusion of music and community at Keg Grove Brewing Company.
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra is shaking things up with its Sips and Sounds event, blending the elegance of classical music with the laid-back atmosphere of a local brewery. This initiative, now in its second season, represents a creative approach to outreach, bringing symphonic performances to new and diverse audiences in an unexpected setting.
Listen to this audio-rich story using the play button above, or read the transcript below.
Trevor Orthmann: I’m Trevor Orthmann, executive director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra.
Beth Wakefield: I’m Beth Wakefield, director of marketing with Illinois Symphony Orchestra.
This is our second season for Sips and Sounds, and it’s a beautiful pairing of just different audiences. Our audience and the new audience. It’s great to bring music out into the community to just experience it in different and unique ways.
Allie Dean, Bloomington-Normal resident and Sips and Sounds attendee: I love it, it’s such a different vibe. So, I have never done something like this on a weeknight.
Lauren Monticelli, Bloomington-Normal resident: Yes, it is great. We don’t know if were supposed to be watching it or if we are supposed to talk, we don’t know.
Orthmann: Yeah, it’s great being here at Keg Grove, they have been so receptive to start. We want to do this. They were just overly excited to do it, and what’s great to see is that it’s just growing and growing from our first performance to now where people are even bringing picnics with them to enjoy the music, and it’s just great for everyone and makes music very accessible.
Wakefield: It’s about putting music out in the community and having the opportunity to experience it in a variety of ways. I will say, thankfully because of the exposure and their experience that they have had here, that it has translated into some people purchasing season tickets and coming to where we perform at Illinois State University. So, that’s really cool.
Orthmann: Yeah, it’s great to see that people who may have never heard that there’s a symphony in the town actually, we sort of make them very aware of it as were in a new venue. So, just to have the new people and many will then come and try us out at in a concert in the hall and some have become season ticket holders so it’s good for them and its good for them also.
Scott Tongate, Bloomington-Normal resident: I am new to the area, and I came here, and I did not realize all of this was going on, but I think it’s fantastic that there’s a place here that does this, I love it.
Jeff Mroz, part owner of Keg Grove: We just opened up our Morris location, and I was up there today and came back to town. I figured I would have a couple beers and check things out. It is a great opportunity for the community, and we are so happy everybody comes to check us out. I think it is a great deal symphony orchestra exposurewise and just enjoymentwise. There’s a lot of people that want to hear things like this and do different things and it’s a cool experience.
I think it is all just deeply embedded in cultural expectations and experiences, right? Beer has a long history, and it’s been around longer than most civilizations, and music as well. They are both art in their own way.
Lauren Warnecke, WGLT Reporter:
It’s really about cross-pollinating audiences. Finding music where you wouldn’t expect to find it and orchestra goers finding Keg Grove.
Sips and Sounds will host two more events in Bloomington this summer on Aug. 22 and Sept. 12. Visit the Illinois Symphony website for more information.